Snow Days

It was snowing, again. It was snowing, again, in Tennessee. This is an unusual thing for the south (or so I am told). I am a northerner, a dam Yankee, the snow is not shocking, or surprising to me. I was assured it did not snow in Tennessee. Before we moved, I purged our boots, snow pants, and most snow shovels. I had saved my favorite snow shovel, the one which got me through the Delaware Blizzards last winter. It was like an old friend, I could not part with it just yet. Now I am glad I kept it. Apparently, I NEEDED it.

Remember, it is NOT supposed to snow in Tennessee. Here it was snowing, again. The children had missed school, they continued to miss school, and when they did get back to school they had delayed starts. It was not even that much snow. I think the move to Chicago will stun my children. I keep trying to tell them, they will NEVER see another snow day again. Like good pre - teens they nod at me and pretend to hear me. They are in denial.

One thing I missed during my snow days in Tennessee was my Delaware neighbors and friends. Here in Tennessee the snow stopped. I had watched the news and seen the storm move out. I must say the "Storm Coverage" was reasonable, not like in Delaware where the "Storm Coverage" would go on for hours and have reporters out in the snow talking to crazy people out driving in it. I missed the "Storm Coverage", I used to watch with gleeful guilt when I knew we had a storm big enough to keep us in the house.

Here in Tennessee the snow had stopped. When the snow stops you go out to shovel. In Delaware you would be out shoveling and in short order you could be chatting with neighbors, catching up with them, helping each other dig out driveways. I went out to shovel. I saw not a single soul. I am not sure if it because they don't have snow shovels, they assumed it would melt quickly since we live in the south, or if they were all in their houses pointing and laughing at me.

As my shovel and I plowed our way down the driveway, I began to think. Why am doing this? It is not like when I get to the end of the driveway a plow will come by on my street so I can get out? I decided to do it anyway, I figured the sun would melt everything away making my life easier for tomorrow. Later I learned that I was not alone in my shoveling. ALL the northerners get out there early and get it done. We are like a mutant animal that work in instinct and tradition. There was just not enough of us to be connected by sight in my neighborhood.

I missed my old neighborhood in the snow, and I missed my old neighbors. The children would walk to each others houses to play. They would meet at the school and go sledding on the barely a hill. We would share hot chocolate and glasses of wine as we huddled together and survived the storms. It is not supposed to snow in Tennessee. I know it is supposed to snow in Chicago. I just hope my new neighbors are kind and along with a glass of wine might watch the "Storm Coverage" with me if there is any.